UK must condemn Trump's weaponisation of humanitarian aid to Palestinians

3 January 2018 - 1:00pm

Press release

Responding to the Trump administration’s comment that the U.S. may stop aid to UNRWA if Palestinians are "no longer willing to talk peace”, War on Want’s senior militarism and security campaigner, Ryvka Barnard, said:

"Over 5 million Palestinian refugees in Palestine, Jordan, and Syria depend on that aid for their basic needs, at a time when conditions for Palestinian refugees are perhaps worse than ever.

"Using such threats to punish Palestinians for refusing to give up their rights is beyond reprehensible. By turning humanitarian aid into a political weapon, such statements fuel Israel’s colonisation project and its ability to violate Palestinian rights with impunity.

"The UK government must immediately condemn this American escalation, and most importantly, end its own complicity in Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights by halting the deadly arms trade with Israel."